Cannon Branding, for Heaven's Sake
"Damn it! How could I forget that a day in heaven is a year on earth? It's only been half a day, but half a year has already passed on earth!"
Ejected from the trackless elevator of [Ascension Platform], Feng Xue, relying on the world's superior performance, single-handedly entered the atmosphere, constantly cursing under her breath. Although the plan was very good, in the blink of an eye, it was already May of the ninth year of Emperor Xin on the surface.
Actually, there's not much of a problem with the ninth year of Emperor Xin's reign. After all, the real Investiture of the Gods wouldn't begin until the seventeenth year of Emperor Xin's reign (Ji Chang visited Jiang Shang). Right now, it's just the stage where Daji used the Cannon Branding and Jiang Wenhuan rebelled.
But the problem is, Feng Xue's little apprentice is going to cause a ruckus at sea this year!
Although he had taken over the entire Heavenly Palace, the arsenals at the East Sea Dragon Gate were crucial units. While there were four Dragon Gates, the resources of the West Sea had been plundered by the Western Teachings, and the North Sea had virtually no resources. Only the East and South Seas had well-established, self-governing Military Factory. If Nezha accidentally "woke up" the Dragon King, he would lose at least a third of his industrial foundation!
"Hopefully this brat will listen to advice!"
Passing through the atmosphere, relying on the superior performance of the weak nuclear force propulsion wings, the world easily arrived at Chentang Pass. Looking at the East China Sea, which was still calm, Feng Xue breathed a sigh of relief. She used the key she brought down from the Heavenly Palace to give instructions to the East China Sea Dragon Gate, telling them not to move no matter what happened, before turning around and flying towards Chaoge.
"The Hermit's power is much more useful than the Mirage System!"
Feng Xue Chaoge, who disguised the world as a civilian air shuttle, flew into Chaoge with an air Xuan Bird Banner superiority. He parked his aircraft on a public helipad, and with an air of arrogance, began searching for the location of the Daji Hao.
"They're using Cannon Branding! Come quick, go see the Cannon Branding!"
The sudden sound made Feng Xue raise her eyebrows slightly. Of course, despite feeling uncomfortable, she couldn't help but move along with the crowd when she heard about the infamous torture of Cannon Branding the Gods.
Then, he saw the Daji Hao--
To be precise, it's the Daji Hao that turned into a building.
"This is unbelievable! Even if it's a transformable land-based ship, what's with turning into a skyscraper?"
Looking at the building with the plaque "Star-Plucking Tower" hanging on it, and King Zhou and a group of civil officials sitting on a platform about ten meters high, which was probably transformed from a ship's bridge, Feng Xue's lips twitched slightly, but she still waited for the so-called torture of Cannon Branding to begin.
"Speaking of which, who's going to be Cannon Branding today?"
Feng Xue randomly picked a talkative person from the crowd. Upon hearing the question, the person immediately responded excitedly, as if they were a local asking about a famous tourist attraction:
"You don't even know this? Today's target for the Cannon Branding is Earl Mei. Uh, you don't even know Earl Mei? You must know Du Yuanxian, right? That gossipy old man from the Imperial Observatory, a few months ago there was Rainbow Light in the sky, and he insisted that there was something wrong with the King, calling it a demonic phenomenon. I just don't understand, it's already the ninth year of Emperor Xin's reign, how can there still be such Feudal Superstition? What does celestial phenomena have to do with the monarch? I Think he's in cahoots with those rebels, just trying to sow discord among the troops!"
"Yes, yes, who can argue with that? Grand Tutor Wen is suppressing the rebellion in Beihai, and now there's another war in the west. To say something like that at this time, I don't believe he's innocent! They've already rebelled, and you're telling us not to send troops? Anyone with a brain wouldn't say something like that!"
Hearing this conversation, more gossipy people chimed in, which amused Feng Xue, but she still said:
"Then Du Yuanxian should be the one shot, what does it have to do with Guan Earl Mei?"
"You don't understand, do you? Usually, those who disrupt morale before a battle are beheaded, and Du Yuanxian is no exception. But some people are out of their minds and speak well of this kind of person. To put it bluntly, even if there really is a problem, we're at war, can't we just say it openly? Especially since it involves rebellion. If he's pardoned, does that mean he's right? If Du Yuanxian deserves to die, then this Earl Mei is truly despicable!"
"Good heavens!" Feng Xue exclaimed inwardly. Although the logic was sound, this was the Shang Dynasty! There were cultivators in the Imperial Court! And they actually called the Imperial Observatory Feudal Superstition...
Just then, the official in charge of ceremonies suddenly shouted, "The time has come! Carry out the execution!"
"Huh?" Upon hearing this, Feng Xue immediately shifted her attention, but then felt a sense of confusion. Although the official in charge of the ceremony mentioned execution, she couldn't see any instruments of torture at all!
The torture device called Cannon Branding) supposedly requires a bronze pillar, right? Even if this is a science fiction world, shouldn't there at least be an Induction Cooker?
Then he saw the cannon...
Yes, real cannons!
"Good heavens, using a warship's main Cannon Branding for a torture device?"
Hearing Feng Xue's unconscious sigh, the audience member next to her immediately said with a sense of superiority:
"Never seen this before? The so-called 'Cannon Branding' is a technique that uses the preheated heat of a warship's main gun to burn someone, and then it can be launched!"
"Emission?"
Feng Xue wasn't entirely unable to understand, but how to put it... In the past, when watching mecha anime, she often saw unkempt captains threatening, "Watch out, or I'll shove you into the main gun of my battleship and shoot you out," and now she was actually seeing it happen in the Investiture of the Gods World...
Give me back that damn Cannon Branding!
"Grass!"
After much deliberation, Feng Xue only uttered this one exclamation. As he uttered this standard curse, the main guns of the Daji Hao warship began to warm up. King Zhou, sitting on the bridge platform, held a microphone and said:
"Since you are unwilling to support the soldiers of my Great Shang, then let your corpse serve as a tribute to them!"
"A tyrannical ruler! A tyrannical ruler!"
Earl Mei, who was shouting that the emperor was a tyrant, was gagged by the executioner and led down a makeshift spiral staircase to the muzzle of the cannon. He was then lowered down with a rope, while on the large screen behind the bridge platform, a classic diagram began to show the audience the stumbling and bumping of the foreign object entering the cannon barrel.
"Main gun warm-up complete, please select firing mode."
An elegant and alluring AI voice emanated from the speaker. King Zhou, looking at Earl Mei already pressed against the cannon's base on the diagram, blushed with excitement. He rose from his intricately carved chair, even taking two steps forward, almost able to feel the heat of the cannon barrel, and loudly proclaimed:
"Fireworks! Fire!"
"Receive!"
The pleasant AI-synthesized voice seemed completely oblivious to the cruel command it had received. It emitted a rather cheerful sound, tilted the cannon slightly, and a burst of reddish-golden fire erupted from it.
The cannonball, almost silently carrying the nearly charred Earl Mei, rose into the sky and exploded into a dazzling firework. The execution ground was instantly filled with the gasps of the onlookers and King Zhou's laughter, which echoed throughout Chaoge via a microphone...